If Marketing Is As Critical As Sales Is to the B2B Pipeline, Why Don't We Formalize Training for Marketing Teams?

In the past, B2B marketers were responsible for branding and communications, but tracking ROI was difficult and marketing was seen as an expendable function. Then the Web was born, and the skills required for marketing changed. Today, marketers are responsible for multiple functions and must track the impact of their efforts on pipeline and revenue. Unfortunately, many marketers lack the qualifications and training to keep up with the changing landscape.

The lack of training and qualifications has serious consequences for organizations, such as high turnover, inability to differentiate from competition, poor lead quality, extended times to close, and more. Despite knowing this, organizations are not making the same level of effort to train their marketing teams as they do to train their sales teams.

Organizations must invest in training their marketing teams, as they are responsible for setting the external narrative and directly affect revenue and growth. Training should be strategically aligned to business objectives, measure progress, and be tailored to individual weaknesses. Without this training, organizations risk seeing a vicious cycle of budget cuts and layoffs.